MIAMI, Florida — Investigators have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from an Amazon-contracted cargo plane that overran a runway at Miami International Airport and crashed into two vehicles, killing five people, US authorities said Monday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said both recorders were recovered from the Boeing 767 and would be sent to investigators for analysis as officials continued examining the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy described the scene at the airport as “devastating” as emergency crews continued recovery operations and investigators began documenting evidence from the crash site.
“We were able to recover the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder,” Homendy said.
Five people killed in vehicles
The aircraft crashed after overrunning the runway and travelling hundreds of metres beyond the paved surface before coming to a halt.
Homendy said the five people killed were occupants of the two vehicles struck by the aircraft.
The first vehicle was a cleaning-services van carrying seven people while operating on airport property.
The aircraft then broke through a perimeter fence and struck an SUV travelling on a public road before hitting another fence separating the roadway from an area where robotaxis were parked.
Homendy said investigators were still working to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash and declined to provide details about the condition of the aircraft’s two pilots.
“We do want to interview the crew,” she said. “As we speak, recovery operations continue.”
Plane travelled about 1,300 feet beyond runway
She said she personally walked the length of the area covered by the aircraft after it left the runway.
“There’s debris everywhere,” Homendy said, describing spilled fuel and fuel remaining inside the aircraft that must be removed.
She also described the damage to the cleaning-services van as severe.
“The Econoline van is torn apart,” she said.
Boeing 767 was operated by 21 Air
The aircraft was a Boeing 767 manufactured in 1994 and operated by 21 Air LLC, a Miami-based cargo airline contracted to Amazon, according to the NTSB.
The plane was on its third flight of the day and had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the crash occurred.
Investigators are expected to use information from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to reconstruct the aircraft’s final moments and determine whether mechanical, operational, environmental or other factors contributed to the accident.
The recorders are among the most important pieces of evidence in a major aviation investigation because they can provide information about aircraft performance, cockpit communications and events immediately before a crash.
Investigation continues as recovery takes priority
The NTSB said investigators would allow recovery operations to proceed before carrying out more extensive examination of the aircraft and crash site.
Homendy said preserving evidence remained important but that recovering victims and supporting their families was the immediate priority.
“The investigation and access to the aircraft as well as evidence can wait while the recovery operation goes forward,” she said. “That is most important, reuniting families with their loved ones.”
Authorities were continuing to recover remains from the crash site while investigators worked to document the wreckage and collect evidence.
The accident also caused significant disruption at Miami International Airport, one of Florida’s busiest aviation hubs, with hundreds of flights delayed as emergency and investigative operations continued.
Key questions for investigators
The recovery of the flight recorders marks an important step in determining what happened in the moments before the cargo plane left the runway.
Investigators will examine the aircraft’s speed, altitude, engine performance, braking and other flight parameters recorded before the crash. The cockpit voice recorder could also provide information about communications between the pilots and any warnings or unusual events during the approach and landing.
Investigators will also examine the aircraft’s maintenance history, operating procedures, runway conditions and the actions of the crew.
The sequence of impacts — involving the cleaning-services van, an SUV on a public road and a fence near the robotaxi parking area — will form part of the broader reconstruction of the accident.
Families await answers
While investigators begin analysing the recorders, recovery teams remain focused on accounting for the victims and supporting their families.
The NTSB has not yet established a cause for the crash, and authorities are expected to release additional information as the investigation progresses.
